Iranian scholar Shahram Amiri, who returned from the USA after 14 months, on Thursday said he turned down a US$50 million bribe offer by the US for cooperation. According to Press TV, Amiri conveyed the US was pursuing a "psychological propaganda" campaign against Tehran through his abduction.

He noted that US officials were making efforts to bribe him to advance their political agenda against the Iranian government. "They [US security agents] told me they would give me 50 million dollars and provide me and my family with proper living conditions in a European country if I reversed my decision to return to Iran," Amiri said in the press conference.

He also pointed to an American offer for an interview with CNN and said that, "Since the early days of my abduction, the Americans were willing to pay me 10 million dollars in exchange for my participation in a 10-minute interview with CNN."

The Iranian slammed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for claiming that he had come to the US willingly and was free to leave. "I am surprised that a top diplomat of a country which is an advocate of human rights made claims about my freedom while I was kidnapped," Amiri said.

He also dismissed reports that he made his decision to return to Iran after his family came under pressure by the Islamic Republic. "It is not true at all. After my abduction, Iranian officials supported my family," he explained.